The Long Run Home Gifts and Curses
by Ryoko Metallium
Summary: ONE SHOT How much would you sacriface for the ones you care for? For Kagome, everything. But Inu-yasha isn't about to let the best thing to happen to him slip away. Song-fic. Please Review.


Title: The Long Run Home (Gifts and Curses)

Author: Ryoko Metallium a.k.a Jennifer Munoz

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The full fury of its power had been unleashed; busting free, ripping and tearing asunder the grassy fields. Violent strikes of shear power jolted themselves into air, crackling and booming. Fueled by an unbelievable amount of ammunition of pure energy.

Watching from the side lines, he stared in awe of how much power the Shikon no Tama was putting out. He could feel it; the hairs on his arms were standing on ends. He watched as its magnitude was growing, feeding itself on whatever it could draw on.

And somewhere within the colossus, she was there, alone.

Koga staggered to his feet, paying no attention to his injuries, and began screaming at the top of his lungs, straining his voice.

" KAGOME!," he cried, " KAGOME!"

Stumbling, he tried to run, only to feel himself being held back by Ginta and Hakkaku. "Koga, stop! Don't do it!"

"Damn it! Let me go, you hear me! Kagome!"

"It's too late! There's nothing you can do."

"She's gone."

"No! Nooo! Noooo! Kagome!"

Koga thrashed around, enraged by hysterical, maddening grief, trying to break his comrades' hold on him. But eventually, his body gave out on itself and he collapsed, defeated and exhausted.

"Why," he whispered, tears crawling away from his eyes. "Why did she do it?"

"She…she plans on sealing the jewel," Miroku explained, watching the path of energy. "Kagome plans on sealing Naraku's soul inside the jewel."

"Just like Midoriko" said Sango. "But…she can't! She can't do that. Kagome will only end up sealing her own soul just to do it."

Miroku face fell in complete despair. He understood exactly what was going to happen. Kagome was going to sacrifice herself, for them. After so many battles, the demons they destroyed, everything that meant anything in their time together, victory was near. With the death of one, their war was going end.

A hollow victory, that's all it was.

Sango turned away from the sorrow-filled monk, her own grief shown in her eyes. Out of everything, it was at this moment that she couldn't help but felt helpless. As a demon slayer, as a warrior trained for battle and to handle any situations of chaos, the thought of losing another loved one was almost too much to handle.

"But…I don't want Kagome to die. I don't want her to go away." The kitsune softly wept into Sango's chest, gripping her uniform tightly.

"The little fool. How stupid can she be?" Inu-yasha stared at the swirling energy, until finally he could look no more. Using the Tetsusaiga for leverage, he swayed to his feet.

"Can't let it end this way" he said as he wavered toward the energy.

"Inu-yasha, what are you doing?" cried out Miroku.

"I…refuse to just stand by…and watch this!" he growled. "I will not leave her there!"

Miroku sprinted forward, quickly blocking the path with his body.

"Miroku, move!"

"Absolutely not! This is suicide!"

"I don't care!"

"Inu-yasha, even if you do manage to find Kagome, remember one thing. All of this power is the Shikon Jewels'. It has been tainted by Naraku's evil for so long that now it's out of control. You're a hanyou, so how can you be sure you won't transform before it's too late."

"I have to find her, Miroku. I can't lose Kagome. Not like this."

Staring at Inu-yasha's face, Miroku recognized his expression. It was the look of a desperate man. The hanyou was pleading with the monk. Begging him to let him pass. Obviously, Inu-yasha knew what was at risk, what more he could lose, but still, he didn't care.

So, sighing heavily, Miroku idly stepped aside.

"Go" he ordered.

A smile of both relief and assurance crept to the demon's face, followed by a nod of thanks. Taking what was to be understood as his one last look, he turned back to the demon slayer, the fox child perched on her shoulder, the two tailed fire cat, the wolf prince and his comrades, and, in his proudest voice, he said, "Don't wait forever."

Summoning up whatever was left of his strength, he burrowed full force into the swirling vortex, fang in hand. Anxiously, the others watched as he disappeared in a passion of bright colors.

"Think he can do it?" Ginta asked. "Can he really save her?"

Koga tighten his fist, hoping and praying for one last miracle. 'I'm counting on you, mutt," he thought.

Inside the jewel, it was beyond what Inu-yasha could ever imagine. It was difficult to keep his equilibrium straight as he tumbled about the swirling dance of colors. Already he could feel himself giving in; he could feel his blood begin to burn his veins and mutate. He was starting to transform.

"Kagome!" he began to holler. "Where are you? Tell me where you are!"

Shouting was the only thing he could think of that would help keep his mind focused. Thinking of only on the task at hand was the only way to keep from losing it.

"Kagome!"

_Mary belongs to the words of a song._

_I try to be strong for her, try not to be wrong for her._

_But she will not wait for me, anymore, anymore._

_Why did I say all those things before? I was sure._

Against the flood of emotions, there was something. He was feeling something.

_(She is the one), but I have a purpose._

A strong something, practically pushing against the jewel's power. Screaming at him.

_(She is the one), and I have to fight this _

Right away, he knew what it was. Two different energy, fighting each other. Kagome was fighting Naraku.

_(She is the one), a villain I can't knock down_

"KAGOME!"

With a flash of red and steel, Inu-yasha raised the Tetsusaiga and unleashed the Bakuryuu-ha, watching it tear through the fragile sheets of power. He pushed his legs, diving deeper within the jewel.

_I see your face with every punch I take_

_And every bone I break, it's all for you._

_And my worst pains are words I cannot say,_

_Still I will always fight on for you._

'Come on, girl. Give me some kind of sign'

The two energies were getting stronger. As was the demon blood within him. The further that Inu-yasha fell, the more difficult it became to his mind centered. So many emotions were flowing through him. Anger, fear, pain, sorrow; all of this in such large amounts.

'What's happening to you, Kagome?'

_Mary's alive in the bright New York sky._

_The city lights shine for her, above them I cry for her._

_Everything's small on the ground below, down below._

_What if I fall, then where would I go, would she know?_

All of this was just too much; too much to take in. He gripped the sides of his head in a desperate attempt to silence them. He tried to cut off the feeling of losing control. Everything he was feeling, all of the hopelessness; were these Kagome's emotions he was experiencing? Was this Kagome's pain?

_(She is the one) all that I wanted_

Unable to hold on any longer, Inu-yasha let out a savage howl; the blood in him, flowing through out his body began to pulsate all around him.

_(She is the one), and I will be haunted_

In an instant, a warm sensation engulfed his trembling body as the jewel began to swirl around him.

_(She is the one), this gift is my curse for now_

Within that instant, the pain slowly began to die away. Inu-yasha's felt himself fall limp inside a shimmering light, every ounce of heart and soul was returning to him. Inside, he was more at peace than he had ever been before. It was almost as if some one was embracing him, keeping him safe from harm. "Kagome…?"

_I see you face with every punch I take, _

_And every bone I break, it's all for you._

_And my worst pains are words I cannot say,_

_Still I will always fight on for you._

The light suddenly then dissipated. Here, Inu-yasha found himself floating a sea of silence. The bright colors were gone. In its place a shadowy grey, filled with an unwavering feel of gloomy. The unmistakable dark aura was everywhere: this was the center of Naraku's soul.

He turned, and that's where he found her.

Curled in a delicate, naked ball, Kagome was surrounded by protective shell of her own power. She appeared to be sleeping, merely a tranquil nap, completely unaware that the hanyou was even there. Her aura was acting as a sort of base. It was keeping Naraku's soul and power at bay, trapped.

Quietly, Inu-yasha floated up to the glowing shell. "Kagome," he whispered. "Kagome, can you hear me?"

The girl didn't move. "Don't worry; I'm getting you out here." Inu-yasha raised the Tetsusaiga, ready to smash to the shell, until he saw something. Something that stunned him.

Tears were falling from Kagome's closed eyes.

"What the heck…?" Carefully, the hanyou placed his hands against to the shield. In a sharp instant, he was overcome with images. Images of the past. All were flashing past his eyes, like some kind of rewind.

Him, pinned to the tree, the well, Kikyo's resurrection, Shippo, Miroku, Sango, him and Naraku battling, him and Kikyo at the tree, him and Kagome at the well, Kikyo kissing him, him embracing Kikyo, Kikyo and him fifty years ago, Kikyo, Kikyo, Kikyo….

"_I want…to see…you…happy, Inuyasha.."_

"_I AM GOING TO PROTECT KIKYO!"_

"_I want…to see…you smile…"_

"_YOU ARE NOT KIKYO!"_

"_Be happy…Inu-yasha…happy"_

Inu-yasha quickly pulled his hand away as if he were touching fire. For a moment he looked at the girl with the look of utmost disbelief. He had experienced her most intimate thoughts, her deepest emotions. Almost a year's worth of feelings in an instant.

Is that why she was here? Is that why she decided to sacrifice herself, just so he could be happy with Kikyo? Why then? Why was she so willing to go through all this pain and suffer, just for his happiness?

The dark aura began to constrict and shrink, drawing itself closer and closer around Inu-yasha. Kagome's shell glowed brighter in an effort to protect herself. Plainly, the hanyou could hear the harsh voice of his enemy.

"_The girl…is staying."_

Inu-yasha tightened his fist in anger, then, with simmering eyes, he looked back at Kagome.

"Oh Kagome, how stupid can you be?" Inu-yasha leaned himself up against the shell, pressing his forehead to its warm glow.

"It's not suppost to end this way, you idiot. Haven't you notice it yet, just how much I need you? I need you, Kagome. I…I don't want to be alone anymore." His voice began to quiver.

A soft crack suddenly arose.

"_Nooo……"_

"Didn't you once promise me that you would always be my side? You can't leave me now, Kagome. I can't lose you."

The crack traveled further down the shell.

"I won't lose you. Not to him."

The shell split, and then there was a scream and a howl.

"_INU-YASHA!!"_

"_NOOOO!"_

"YOU…CAN'T …HAVE HER!!"

"Look! The whole thing is starting to collapse!" shouted Shippo, pointing to the disintegrating funnel of energy. The violent array of colors were starting to fade. Slowly, it began to shrink, and until finally, it exploded in one quick motion.

All that remained was a deep hollow crater, right in the center of where Naraku's mansion once stood.

"Where are they? Do you see them? Where's Kagome?" Koga flustered franticly, searching the landscape.

A tense moment passed without a sign of the pair. "There! There! I see them! Over there!" The kitsune sounded, happily jumping up and down.

At the far edge of the crater, the hanyou was carefully climbing out of the smoking hole. In his arms, he cradled Kagome's prone form, wrapped in his fire-rat coat. Right away he spotted his friends, charging at top speed towards him. The uncanny dust cloud of Koga was unmistakable.

Inu-yasha couldn't help but smile. Everything had come full circle, and the worst of it was over. In this moment, all was right in the world. So wrapped up in his moment, the demon hardly even noticed he was holding the jewel in his hand, shiny and pure.

"Inu….yasha…?"

"Kagome…?" His weary gazed turned back to the girl nestled close to his chest.

"What..happened?" she quietly asked.

"Shhh," the demon replied. "It's over. Everything's alright now. Just go back to sleep."

As she drifted back into an exhausted sleep, Inu-yasha suddenly realized just how tired he was. Still smiling, he collapsed to knees.

Today, was a good day.

_I see your face with every punch I take,_

_And every bone I break, it's all for you_

_And my worst pains are words I cannot say,_

_Still I will always fight on for you._

_Fight on for you…_

_Fight on for you…_

_Fight on for you._

Author notes: This song-fic went a little different than the previous two I wrote before. Rather than keep my focus on one particular song, I choose several different songs in order to capture the right emotions for each character. For example, in Koga's case I used Nickleback's song "Someday", for Miroku, "We are" by Aya, and for Inu-yasha, "The Reason" by Hoobastank. The very first time I heard "Gifts and Curses" by Yellowcard, it was one of those songs that end up on repeat on my cd player. I had been wanted to write a fanfic that tried to capture the unspoken feelings between Inu-yasha and Kagome, but steer clear from writing a song-fic. Obviously, that didn't work out. This time around, rather than write out every ounce of emotion, I let the song's lyrics to the work. Any comments are greatly welcomed.


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